Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Vancouver to Banff by Rocky Mountaineer, at a slower pace
7 days from Vancouver to Calgary for travellers over 60: two nights in Vancouver, two days on the Rocky Mountaineer, three nights in Banff, and Moraine Lake and Lake Louise without a pre-dawn start.
7 days · Vancouver to Calgary · up to 12 guests
Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks Photo: Andrea Belvedere, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moraine_Lake_-_36964910112.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Vancouver to Calgary
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Under 5 km of walking a day, mostly on flat paved or packed paths with benches along the way, and you can sit any part out. The two rail days are seated in a single-level coach. Step-free routes and boarding assistance must be checked for your needs before booking. The longest planned road day is about 2 hours in three legs, and the longest single drive is about 1.5 hours to Calgary airport. Both rail days can require early starts; check-in times depend on the train schedule.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,330 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- Two days on the Rocky Mountaineer by daylight, through the Fraser Canyon and over the Continental Divide, with meals served at your seat
- Two unhurried nights in Vancouver, with Stanley Park by minibus and lunch on Granville Island
- Three nights in Banff, so you unpack once in the mountains
- Moraine Lake at mid-morning on a road closed to private cars, and a level stroll along the lakeshore
- Lunch by Lake Louise, looking up the lake to Victoria Glacier
- The Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain, with lunch at the summit and lifts in the summit building
- A free afternoon every other day
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,330 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Vancouver
Vancouver airport (YVR) to your hotel downtown, about 30 minutes
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Vancouver
- Drive about 30 min
Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and takes care of your bags for the drive of about 30 minutes into the city, over the north arm of the Fraser River to a central hotel with lifts to every floor. There is nothing to do today but settle in. If you would like to stretch your legs after the flight, the Coal Harbour seawall is a few minutes from downtown: it is flat, paved and lined with benches, and floatplanes take off in front of Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains.
Evening
At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week ahead, including what to pack in a day bag for the train, then we sit down to a welcome dinner close to the hotel, so nobody has far to go afterwards.
Included
- Pickup at Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing
Stanley Park and Granville Island
Vancouver: Stanley Park by minibus, then Granville Island
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Vancouver
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A gentle start after breakfast, at about 9:30 am. The minibus takes the one-way Stanley Park Drive around the park, which covers about 400 hectares on a peninsula beside downtown, so you see it from your seat and step out only where it is worth it. The first stop is Brockton Point, where a row of totem poles stands on the grass a few steps from the road, with the harbour and the city behind. Further round, Prospect Point looks down on the Lions Gate Bridge and the ships heading out to sea. Then we cross False Creek to Granville Island and its public market, a covered hall of produce, bakeries and fish counters where you can wander on level floors and sit down when you like.
Afternoon
Lunch is together at a restaurant on the island. We are back at the hotel by about 2 pm, and the afternoon is yours: a rest before tomorrow's early train, the Vancouver Art Gallery, or the seawall.
Included
- Stanley Park Drive with stops at the Brockton Point totem poles and Prospect Point
- Granville Island Public Market
- Sit-down lunch on Granville Island
Optional experiences
- Vancouver Art Gallery
Easier option: Stay on the minibus at the Stanley Park stops; the totem poles and Prospect Point views are visible from the vehicle.
More active option: Walk a stretch of the seawall from Brockton Point with your guide while the minibus waits further along.
Free time: Afternoon free in Vancouver
Activity: About 2 km on foot, all of it level.
Rocky Mountaineer: the Fraser Canyon to Kamloops
Vancouver to Kamloops on the Rocky Mountaineer, SilverLeaf
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Kamloops
- By train
Evening
An early start, set by the train: your minibus leaves the hotel early in the morning for the Rocky Mountaineer station, and your suitcase goes ahead by road to tonight's hotel. SilverLeaf coaches have a single seating level with large windows that curve up into the roof, and breakfast and lunch are served at your seat. Boarding assistance and access must be checked for your needs before booking. The train runs only by daylight. It leaves the city through the farms of the Fraser Valley, then climbs into the Fraser Canyon, where the river squeezes through Hell's Gate, a gap about 35 m wide. Past Lytton the line follows the Thompson River through dry canyons, rock sheds and tunnels, and the forest gives way to sagebrush hills and the long shore of Kamloops Lake. You reach Kamloops in the early evening and your bags are waiting at the hotel, which comes with the rail journey. Dinner is your own; your guide can suggest a place close by.
Included
- Transfer to the Rocky Mountaineer station
- Rocky Mountaineer SilverLeaf, first day: Vancouver to Kamloops
- Luggage taken by road to your Kamloops hotel
Free time: Evening free in Kamloops
Activity: Seated all day; the washroom is in your coach.
Rocky Mountaineer: over the Rockies to Banff
Kamloops to Banff on the Rocky Mountaineer, SilverLeaf
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Banff
- By train
Morning
A short morning transfer back to the train, and your suitcase goes ahead again, this time to Banff. The line follows the South Thompson River and the shore of Shuswap Lake, then passes Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven on 7 November 1885. It crosses the Monashee Mountains by Eagle Pass and the Selkirks through tunnels beneath Rogers Pass; east of Revelstoke the clocks move forward an hour to Mountain Time. After Golden the train climbs the Kicking Horse River into Yoho National Park and loops through the Spiral Tunnels, which curl back on themselves inside the mountains to ease the grade, before crossing the Continental Divide at Kicking Horse Pass into Alberta.
Evening
It runs past Lake Louise and down the Bow Valley to Banff, arriving in the evening. A short transfer takes you to your hotel, three nights in one room, and we have dinner together nearby.
Included
- Rocky Mountaineer SilverLeaf, second day: Kamloops to Banff
- Luggage taken by road to your Banff hotel
- Transfer from Banff station to your hotel
- Dinner together in Banff
Activity: Seated all day.
Moraine Lake and Lake Louise
Banff to Moraine Lake, then Lake Louise, and back to Banff
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Banff
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
We leave Banff at about 9 am, after a proper breakfast, and drive a little over an hour up the Bow Valley and the Moraine Lake Road, closed to private cars, in a licensed minibus.
Afternoon
Mid-morning is usually quieter than sunrise or midday at the lake. From the lodge end of the lake a level path runs along the shore, so you can see the Valley of the Ten Peaks over the blue water without climbing; the stepped Rockpile viewpoint is there for anyone who wants it. Then it is about 13 km back down to Lake Louise for a sit-down lunch by the lake, looking up the water to Victoria Glacier. The lakeshore path afterwards is flat and wide, with benches, and you walk as far as you like. We are back in Banff by about 3:30 pm, before the afternoon thunderstorms that often build in summer.
Included
- Moraine Lake by licensed minibus, road access included
- Level lakeshore walk at Moraine Lake
- Sit-down lunch at Lake Louise
- Lake Louise lakeshore path with your guide
- Parks Canada admission
Optional experiences
- Canoe on Lake Louise
Easier option: Watch from the shore by the Moraine Lake lodge and from a bench at Lake Louise, with no walking beyond a few hundred metres.
More active option: Climb the Rockpile steps at Moraine Lake with your guide, or walk the Lake Louise shoreline to the far end of the lake, about 2 km each way.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Banff
Activity: About 3 km on foot on level paths, less on the easy option.
Sulphur Mountain and Bow Falls
Banff to the Banff Gondola and Bow Falls, then a free afternoon in town
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Banff
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
A slow morning. At about 9:30 am the minibus takes the short drive to the foot of the Banff Gondola, and an eight-minute ride in an enclosed cabin lifts you up Sulphur Mountain, where the summit building has lifts between its floors and a rooftop deck. From up here you see six mountain ranges, the town spread along the Bow River, and the Fairmont Banff Springs standing above the forest. A boardwalk with steps continues along the ridge to Sanson's Peak for anyone who wants it; the views from the deck are nearly the same.
Afternoon
Lunch is together at the summit before we ride back down. On the way into town we stop at the Bow Falls viewpoint, a few steps from the vehicle, where the river drops over a wide limestone ledge below the hotel. The afternoon is free.
Evening
This evening the group meets for a farewell dinner at about 6 pm.
Included
- Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain
- Sit-down lunch at the summit
- Bow Falls viewpoint
- Farewell dinner
Optional experiences
- Banff Upper Hot Springs
- Lake Minnewanka cruise
Easier option: Stay on the summit building's rooftop deck, reached by lift, instead of walking the boardwalk.
More active option: Walk the boardwalk and steps along the ridge to Sanson's Peak, about 1 km each way.
Free time: Afternoon free in Banff
Activity: Under 1 km on foot unless you take the boardwalk.
Banff to Calgary
Banff to Calgary International Airport (YYC), about 1.5 hours
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
No rush this morning. Have breakfast at your own pace, and if you are up early, take a last look at Cascade Mountain at the end of Banff Avenue. Your driver loads the bags, and we head east on the Trans-Canada Highway down the Bow Valley, past Canmore and the three peaks of the Three Sisters, then out of the mountains into the rolling foothills and on to Calgary International Airport (YYC), about 145 km and roughly an hour and a half, with a comfort stop on the way if you would like one. Book a flight home leaving after about 12:30 pm, and tell us your flight time so we can set the pickup to suit it. Your guide sees you to the departures door.
Evening
If you would like an extra night in Banff or in Calgary before you fly, ask us and we can add it to your booking.
Included
- Transfer to Calgary International Airport (YYC) with your guide
Free time: Morning free until the pickup
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 12:30 pm.
- Vancouver2 nights
- Kamloops1 night
- Banff3 nights
- Calgaryend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Summer days in the Rockies are mild and the evenings cool, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August, which is one reason we do the lakes in the morning. Smoke from distant wildfires can haze the views on some summer days. Elk, bighorn sheep and bears are sometimes seen from the train and the road, but no sighting is certain.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers over 60 who want the Rocky Mountaineer and the lakes without early starts or long walks
- Anyone who would rather unpack two or three times than every night
- Couples and solo travellers who like a guide to handle the logistics and free afternoons to themselves
- Travellers who use a walking stick or tire on stairs
Not for you if you want
- Hikers looking for trails and summits: the walking is short and level
- Travellers who want Jasper and the Icefields Parkway: this trip stays around Banff and Lake Louise
- Guests who need a wheelchair throughout: ask us first, as some paths and the Kamloops hotel are still to be checked
- Travellers on a tight budget
Most guests are 60 and over
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Vancouver2 nights
- Kamloops1 night
- Banff3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 2 in a central Vancouver hotel, 1 in Kamloops with the rail journey, 3 in a Banff hotel in walking distance of Banff Avenue
- Hotels with lifts to every floor in Vancouver and Banff; the Kamloops hotel comes with the rail fare and we confirm its lift before you book
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pickup at Vancouver airport (YVR)
- Rocky Mountaineer SilverLeaf, two days from Vancouver to Banff with a night in Kamloops
- Station transfers, with your luggage taken by road to the hotels
- A minibus with a professional driver for the Vancouver day and every day in the Rockies, licensed for the Moraine Lake Road
- Transfer to Calgary airport (YYC)
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from Vancouver to Calgary
Activities
- Stanley Park Drive with the Brockton Point totem poles and Prospect Point, Vancouver
- Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver
- Moraine Lake, road access included
- Lake Louise lakeshore
- Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain
- Bow Falls viewpoint, Banff
- Parks Canada admission for every day in Banff National Park
Meals
- 6 breakfasts, 2 of them on the train
- 5 lunches: 2 on the train, on Granville Island, at Lake Louise and at the Sulphur Mountain summit
- 3 dinners at about 6 pm: welcome in Vancouver, arrival in Banff and a farewell dinner
Not included
- Flights to Vancouver and from Calgary
- Travel insurance
- Dinners in Vancouver on day 2, in Kamloops on day 3 and in Banff on day 5
- Lunch on days 1 and 7
- Drinks, except those served on the train
- Optional activities: the Lake Louise canoe, the Banff Upper Hot Springs and the Lake Minnewanka cruise
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,330 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights in hotels (with lifts in Vancouver and Banff), two days on the Rocky Mountaineer in SilverLeaf with the Kamloops hotel, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, a minibus and driver, both airport transfers, Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, the Banff Gondola, Stanley Park and Granville Island, Parks Canada admission, 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners.
How much walking is there?
The plan aims for under 5 km of walking a day, mostly much less, with opportunities to rest. The Rockpile steps at Moraine Lake and the boardwalk to Sanson's Peak are optional; alternative viewpoints may not offer the same view. Path surfaces, gradients and step-free access must be checked for your needs before booking. The two rail days are mostly seated.
Are there any early starts?
Both train days can start early: day 3 departs Vancouver and day 4 boards in Kamloops. Exact check-in times depend on the rail schedule. Other days are planned to begin at about 9 am or later, with Moraine Lake at mid-morning rather than sunrise, subject to access and transport availability.
Why SilverLeaf and not GoldLeaf?
SilverLeaf has single-level seating, with meals served at your seat and windows curving into the roof. Boarding and accessibility arrangements still need checking for your needs. GoldLeaf has upper-level seating and a separate dining area; ask about availability, access and the price difference before choosing.
Can I come with a walking stick, walker or wheelchair, and do the hotels have lifts?
Tell us which mobility aid you use and what assistance you need when you enquire. Hotels, room access, train boarding, vehicle access and path suitability have not been verified for your needs. We must check these with the relevant providers before you accept a booking. Single-level train seating does not by itself guarantee step-free boarding or an accessible washroom.
How does luggage work on the Rocky Mountaineer?
You ride with a small day bag for your coat, camera and medicines, and your suitcase goes by road to the hotels in Kamloops and Banff, waiting for you when you arrive. Rocky Mountaineer currently allows two bags of up to 23 kg each; we confirm the allowance with your booking.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests and a See Sight Tours guide, so everyone fits in one minibus and around one table at dinner.
I am travelling alone. What will I pay?
A room of your own is CAD 1,330 more than the twin-share price, shown up front. If you would rather share, tell us when you book and we will try to pair you with another solo traveller on the same departure. We tell you whether a match was found before anything is charged.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose that matches a Rocky Mountaineer departure. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we can book the train, hotels and transfers for you.
When is the best time to go?
Late June to mid-September. The Moraine Lake Road is open, the lake ice has gone and the train runs. July and August are warmest, with afternoon thunderstorms, which is why we see the lakes in the morning. September is quieter and cooler.
Do I need a visa for Canada?
Many visitors need either a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to Canada, depending on your passport. US citizens need neither. Check the Government of Canada website before you book your flights, as the rules change.
How does booking work?
Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The indicative small-group estimate is CAD 7,825 per person sharing a room, intended to include taxes. The final tax-inclusive amount will be set out in your quote; this is not a confirmed rail fare or supplier quote.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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